14 Best Smartphones Under ₹20000 in India [August 2019]

Choosing the best smartphone under a particular budget is a tedious task to do given that there are tons of options available in the market. If you want a good performing smartphone that can get you through most of the tasks, packs in good enough cameras and lives up to your work expectations, then a budget of ₹20,000 is a sweet spot to go with.

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For this article we are looking for phones priced below ₹20,000, we made this list on our personal opinion and listed it down based on price, quality, durability, and more. We have focused more on the phone which you can buy in India and some of these might be available around the globe.

We will be updating the article frequently as new phones are released and are worth including in this list, so make sure to check back again before making a choice.

Best Smartphones Under ₹20000 in India

Note: If you are not living in India then don’t worry many phones that are listed here are available worldwide, and you can easily order it online. These smartphones are neither in ascending or descending order. All of them are the best in this price range depending on your taste.

1. OPPO K3

Source: OPPO

The OPPO K3 is a brilliant looking smartphone and one of the best choices in this price range. The OPPO K3 was launched in May 2019 as the successor to the previous OPPO K2. The K3 comes with amazing specifications at a much affordable price and directly competes with the Realme X.

On the front, you have a 6.5 inch AMOLED display with a screen resolution of 1080 x 2340 pixels. It has an all-screen design thanks to the pop-up selfie camera, you have a 19.5:9 aspect ratio and 85.5% screen to body ratio. The display is also protected by Corning Gorilla Glass 5.

The device is powered by an octa-core Qualcomm Snapdragon 710 processor paired with Adreno 616 GPU. There are a couple of storage variants to choose from: 6GB + 64GB, 8GB + 128GB, and 8GB + 256GB. The internal Keep in mind that the storage is not further expandable while selecting the storage variant. The device runs on Android 9.0 Pie based on Color OS 6.

The camera’s on this phone are also amazing. You get a dual rear-facing camera setup with a 16MP primary sensor with f/1.2 aperture paired with a 2MP secondary depth sensor with f/2.4 aperture. On the front, you have a motorized 16 MP pop-up selfie camera with f/2.0 aperture. The camera also features LED flash, HDR, Panorama, and Gyro-EIS.

2. Samsung Galaxy M40

Source: Samsung

Samsung budget smartphone is a great hit nowadays. The Samsung Galaxy M40 was launched in June 2019 and comes with a full-screen design with the help of a punch-hole front camera. The build here doesn’t impress a lot and it seems Samsung is cutting some corners here. but let’s see what else the device offers.

On the front, you have a 6.3-inch PLS TFT display with a screen resolution of 1080 x 2340 pixels. The screen has a 19.5:9 aspect ratio and 84.9% screen to body ratio. The screen quality is very good and is also protected by Corning Gorilla Glass. The device runs on One UI based on Android 9.0 Pie.

Powering up the device is the Qualcomm Snapdragon 675 Chipset paired with Adreno 612 GPU. The phone performs really well for all day to day task and some gaming. There are two variants you can choose from: 4GB + 64GB, and 6GB + 128GB. The internal storage is also further expandable up to 512GB via a Shared SIM card slot.

The camera’s on this phone is one of the main selling points. You have a triple rear-facing camera setup with a combo of 32 MP Primary sensor with f/1.7 aperture, a secondary 8 MP (Ultrawide) sensor with f/2.2 aperture and a third 5 MP (Depth Sensor) with f/2.2 aperture. The rear camera also features LED flash, panorama, and HDR support. On the front, you have a 16 MP selfie camera with f/2.0 aperture and HDR.

3. Realme X

Source: Realme

The Realme X is the company’s new take on the mid-rangers. The device was launched in May 2019 and comes with a complete design overhaul. The phone packs some amazing specifications at a very affordable price and directly competes with its rival OPPO K3.

On the front, you have a 6.53 inches AMOLED display with a screen resolution of 1080 x 2340 Pixels. The display has almost no bezels on the sides and a minor chin at the bottom, there is also no notch thanks to the pop-up selfie camera. You have a 19.5:9 aspect ratio, 394 PPI density, and everything are protected by Corning Gorilla Glass 5.

The device is powered by an Octa-Core Qualcomm Snapdragon 710 Chipset paired along with Adreno 616 GPU. The device runs on Color OS 6 based on Android 9.0 (Pie) out of the box. You also have a couple of different RAM and Storage variants to choose from – 4GB + 64GB, 6GB + 64GB, and 8GB + 128GB. The internal storage is not expandable as there is no SD card slot.

The Realme X has a dual rear-facing camera setup with a 48MP primary sensor with f/1.7 aperture paired with a 5MP depth sensor with f/2.4 aperture. You also have LED flash and HDR support. On the front, it has a Motorized pop-up 16MP with f/2.0 aperture for taking selfies.

In terms of connectivity, the phone includes Wi-Fi 802.11, Bluetooth 5.0, aptX HD, FM radio, and USB Type-C 1.0 reversible connector. The phone has a 3765 mAh battery along with VOOC 3.0 Fast charging support which is capable of charging the phone from 0 to 55% in just 30 mins.

4. Huawei P30 Lite

Source: Huawei

The Huawei P30 Lite was launched in March 2019 along with the P30 and P30 Pro. This device focuses more on the budget range and comes with some toned down specifications. You have a front and back glass design with gradient finish to it which changes color depending upon the angle you are holding it. In terms of color options, you have Peacock Blue, Midnight Black, and Pearl White.

On the front, you have a 6.15 inch LTPS IPS LCD display with a screen resolution of 1080 x 2312 Pixels. The screen quality here is really great, you also have a dewdrop shaped notch design which houses the front camera and the speaker grille.

The device is powered by company’s own HiSilicon Kirin 710 Chipset paired with Mali-G51 MP4 GPU. On the software front, the phone runs on EMUI 9.0 based on Android 9.0 Pie. There are only two RAM and Storage variant to choose from – 4GB + 128GB and 6GB + 128GB. The internal Storage is also further expandable up to 1TB via a MicroSD card slot.

Cameras on this phone are amazing. You get a triple rear-facing camera setup with a 24MP (wide) Sensor with f/1.8 aperture paired with an 8MP Ultrawide sensor and a 2MP Depth Sensor with f/2.4 aperture. On the front, you have a 32MP selfie camera with f/2.0 aperture.

Technical Specifications

5. Xiaomi Poco F1

The Xiaomi Poco F1 was launched in August 2018 and since then it has been the best value for money smartphone under ₹20,000. It comes with a Snapdragon 8xx Series processor which we can only found in smartphones which costs above ₹35,000. The design might not be impressive but it packs great features. It comes with a 6.18 inch IPS LCD display with a screen resolution of 1080 x 2246 Pixels. It has an 18:7:9 Aspect ratio display with a notch design and it is protected by Corning Gorilla Glass.

The device is powered by a Qualcomm Snapdragon 845 Processor paired with Adreno 630 GPU. It comes in 3 storage and 2 RAM variant 6 GB + 64 GB, 6 GB + 128 GB, and 8 GB + 256 GB while other two variant costs more but the base variant comes well under ₹20000. It runs on Android Oreo (8.1) out of the box with Miui 10.2 Skin on top and has a 4000 mAh battery.

The cameras on this phone are also great, you get a dual-camera setup on the back with a 12 MP Primary sensor and a 5 MP secondary depth sensor while on the front it has a 20 MP camera for taking selfies. The rear camera features dual-LED flash and is capable of recording slo-mo videos.

6. Honor Play

The Honor Play is another great choice if you are looking to buy a phone in this budget. It was launched on July 2018 and has very similar specs as the Poco F1 while design-wise this one is much better. You get a 6.3 inch IPS LCD display with a screen resolution of 1080 x 2340 Pixels. The phone has a notched display which houses the front camera and the display is in 19.5:9 ratio.

It is powered by an Octa-core Kirin 970 processor and Mali-G72 MP12 GPU. Honr Play comes in 2 variants 4 GB + 64 GB and 6 GB + 64 GB while the storage is further expandable up to 256 GB with a microSD card but not having a 128 GB or 256 GB storage is a downside. It also comes in a lot of color variant Midnight Black, Navy Blue, Violet, Player Edition Red, Player Edition Black.

When it comes to cameras the Honor Play features a dual rear-facing camera setup with a 16 MP sensor paired with a 2 MP depth sensor. On the front, it has a 16 MP camera for taking selfies. The phone runs on Android 8.1 (Oreo) out of the box with EMUI 8.2 Skin, it is also upgradable to Android Pie 9.0.

In terms of connectivity, the phone has Wi-Fi, Bluetooth, GPS, Type C 1.0 USB, USB OTG, and FM Radio. The rear-mounted fingerprint scanner is the only security in this device. The phone has a 3750 mAh battery which is good enough and it also supports fast charging.

Technical Specifications

7. Samsung Galaxy A50

The Samsung Galaxy A50 was launched in February 2019 and features a 6.4 inch Super AMOLED Display with a screen resolution of 1080 x 2340 pixels. The screen has a 19.5:9 aspect ratio and is protected by Corning Gorilla Glass 3. On the front, it has a waterdrop shaped notch for the front camera and the rest is a plastic body with a glossy finish on the back.

The device is powered by an Exynos 9610 Processor and Mali-G72 GPU. It comes in few different RAM & Storage configuration such as 4GB + 64GB and 6GB + 128GB. The internal storage can be further expandable up to 512GB via a dedicated SD card slot. It also has a 4000 mAh battery with 15 W fast charging support.

The main attraction of this phone is the triple rear-facing camera setup. It has a 25MP main sensor, 8MP Ultrawide sensor, and a 5MP depth sensor. On the front, it has a 25MP selfie camera. The Samsung Galaxy A50 runs on Android 9.0 (Pie) with OneUI Skin on top. The phone comes in four color variant Black, White, Blue, and Coral.

In terms of security, the phone has an under-display fingerprint scanner and face unlock feature. Connectivity options in this phone includes Wi-Fi, Bluetooth 5.0, GPS, NFC, FM Radio, and Type-C 1.0 USB.

8. Samsung Galaxy A30

The Samsung Galaxy A30 is the mid-range device under the Galaxy A Series. It was launched in February 2019. It has a 6.4 inch Super AMOLED display with a screen resolution of 1080 x 2340 Pixels. The screen here has a 19.5:9 aspect ratio with a notch design which houses the front camera. The screen is protected by Corning Gorilla Glass 3 but the plastic back might disappoint some of you.

Internally the device is powered by an Exynos 7904 processor coupled up with Mali-G71 GPU. The phone runs on Android 9.0 (Pie) out of the box with Samsung’s One UI skin on top. The Samsung Galaxy A30 sold in two different variants 3GB + 32GB and 4GB + 64GB. You can also expand the internal storage further up to 512GB via a MicroSD card.

The main rear camera of this phone has a dual-camera setup with a 16 MP Primary sensor and a 5 MP ultra-wide sensor while on the front it has a 16 MP selfie shooter. To keep it running the phone has a 4000 mAh battery with 15W fast charging support.

Connectivity options includes Wi-Fi, Bluetooth 5.0, GPS, FM radio, and Type-C 1.0 USB. Security features of this phone include a Fingerprint scanner. Lastly, the phone comes in three color variants: Black, Red, and Blue.

Technical Specifications

9. OPPO K1

The Oppo K1 was the first smartphone to introduce the under-display fingerprint scanner in the sub 20,000 price range. It was launched in October 2018 and features a 6.4 inch Super AMOLED display with a screen resolution of 1080 x 2340 Pixels. It also has a waterdrop shaped notch for the front camera and the display is well protected by Corning Gorilla Glass 5.

The device is powered by a Qualcomm Snapdragon 660 Processor paired with Adreno 512 GPU. The Oppo K1 runs on Android 8.1 (Oreo) out of the box with ColorOS 5.2 Skin on top. The phone has a 3600 mAh battery with 10W fast charging support.

The Oppo K1 has a dual rear-facing camera setup with a combo of 16 MP Primary sensor and a 2 MP Secondary depth sensor. On the front, it has a 25 MP camera for taking selfies. The phone also has an Under display fingerprint scanner in terms of security.

You can get this phone in various combinations, in terms of color it comes in Blue, Silver, Green, and Red while RAM and Storage configurations include 4GB + 64GB and 6GB + 64GB. Connectivity options includes Wi-Fi, Bluetooth 5.0, GPS, micro USB 2.0, and USB OTG.

10. Huawei P20 Lite

Huawei P20 Lite was launched in March 2018 and comes with a 5.84 inch LTPS IPS LCD display with a screen resolution of 1080 x 2280 Pixels. The phone has a notched 19:9 aspect ratio display (432 PPI) and comes in three color variant Klein Blue, Sakura Pink, Midnight Black.

Internally the device is powered by the company’s own Hisilicon Kirin 659 Octa-core processor paired with Mali T830 MP2 GPU. It comes with 4GB of RAM and few storage variants 32GB, 64GB, and 128GB. The storage is further expandable up to 256GB via a Micro SD card. The P20 Lite runs on Android 8.1 Oreo with EMUI 8 skin on top.

The phone packs a dual rear-facing camera setup with a 16 MP Primary sensor paired with a 2 MP depth sensor while on the front you get a single 16 MP camera for clicking selfies. In terms of security, the phone has a rear-mounted fingerprint scanner. The battery on this one can be a downside because it only has a 3000 mAh battery.

The phone also supports fast charging and for connectivity, it has Wi-Fi, Bluetooth, GPS, FM Radio, USB OTG, and USB Type C 1.0. This phone is great if you are looking for a good looking phone but it may disappoint in terms of performance as it only has 4GB of RAM.

Technical Specifications

11. Nokia 7.1

The Nokia 7.1 was launched in October 2018 and has a premium-looking build quality and design. It has both Front and glass back with aluminum frame. It features a 5.84-inch IPS LCD display with a screen resolution of 1080 x 2280 pixels. The display is in 19:9 aspect ratio and is protected by Corning Gorilla Glass 3.

The phone is powered by a Qualcomm Snapdragon 636 processor and Adreno 509 GPU. It comes in two RAM and storage variant. 3 GB + 32 GB and 4 GB + 64 GB and the storage is further expandable up to 400 GB via a micro SD card. The Nokia 7.1 runs on Android 8.1 Oreo and Android One program so you get pure stock Android on it with 2 years of promised updates.

Talking about the camera, the phone sports a dual-camera setup on the back with a combo of 12 MP sensor with Dual Pixel PDAF, Zeiss optics, and a 5 MP secondary depth sensor. On the front, it has an 8 MP camera for taking selfies. It has a 3060 mAh battery which may be a bummer for some.

12. Huawei Nova 3i

The Nova 3i was launched in July 2018 and shares similar design as the Huawei P20 Lite and features 6.3 inches, 19.5:9 aspect ratio display with a screen resolution of 1080 x 2230 pixels. The display is IPS LCD and has a notched design.

Cameras on this phone are great, you get a dual-camera setup on both front and back. On the front, it has a 16 MP camera paired with a 2 MP depth sensor while on the front it has a 24 MP sensor paired with a 2 MP depth sensor. So in case you are looking for a phone with a great front camera then you can go for the Nova 3i.

The phone is backed up by a 3340 mAh battery and comes in various color variant Black, Pearl White, Iris Purple, and Acacia Red. Connectivity options in this phone include Wi-Fi, GPS, Bluetooth, USB OTG, and FM Radio. It also has a Rear-mounted fingerprint scanner in terms of security.

Technical Specifications

13. Vivo V9 Pro

The Vivo V9 Pro was launched in July 2018 and comes with a 6.3-inch display with a screen resolution of 1080 x 2280 pixels. The display is in 19:9 aspect ratio and has a notch on top with minimal bezels at the bottom. The look is not great because the phone is made of complete plastic.

The device is powered by an Octa-core Qualcomm Snapdragon 660 processor paired with Adreno 512 GPU. In terms of memory, it comes with 6GB of RAM and 64 GB internal storage which can be further expanded up to 256 GB with a micro SD card. The phone runs on Android 8.1 Oreo with Funtouch 4 Skin on top.

The camera’s on this phone might not be great it has a dual-camera setup on the back with a 13 MP Primary sensor and 2 MP depth sensor. On the front, it has a single 12 MP selfie shooter. It comes in two color variant Black, and Red. It has a 3260 mAh battery which will easily last you a day on light usages.

For security, the phone has a rear-mounted fingerprint scanner and face unlock feature. In terms of connectivity, the phone has Wi-Fi, Bluetooth, GPS, FM Radio, USB OTG, and Micro USB 2.0.

Technical Specifications

14. Samsung Galaxy A7

The Samsung Galaxy A7 was launched in September 2018. It features a Super AMOLED 6.0 inch display with a screen resolution of 1080 x 2220 Pixels. The display is in 18.8:9 aspect ratio and is protected by Corning Gorilla Glass. The phone has minimal front and top bezels and features Always-on Display.

The phone is powered by Exynos 7885 processor and Mali-G71 GPU. In terms of storage it comes in 4 GB + 64 GB, and 6 GB + 128 GB and the internal storage is further expandable up to 512 GB with an SD card. It runs on Android Oreo 8.1 with Samsung Experience Skin.

It features a Triple camera setup on the back with 24 MP (Wide) + 8 MP (Ultrawide) + 5 MP (depth sensor). On the front, it has a single 24 MP sensor. The phone has a 3300 mAh battery and comes in 4 color variant Black, blue, gold, and pink.

Talking about connectivity it has Wi-Fi, Bluetooth, GPS, FM Radio, Micro USB 2.0 and NFC. For security, it has a side-mounted fingerprint scanner.

Final words

So there you go, guys! Our top picks for the Best smartphone under ₹20000. While these phones don’t share similar specification so choosing the best one can be a difficult task for you. You can pick one on the Basis of Performance, Cameras and the Software. If you need stock android experience then you can go with the phone having Android One program and if the software doesn’t matter and you need great cameras then you should pick the Huawei P30 Lite, Samsung Galaxy M40 or the Realme X. In case you need the best value for money phone then you can also go with the Realme X, OPPO K3 or the Samsung Galaxy M40.

You can also pick one depending upon your previous experience with the brand. We hope this article was helpful for you if you still have a doubt or suggestion feel free to let us know.

Mehul Boricha is the founder of Tech Arrival & Astute Links. He is a computer and smartphone geek from Junagadh, Gujarat, India. He is a Computer Engineer by Education & an Entrepreneur by Passion. Apart from technology geek, he is an audiophile & loves to connect with people.